Author Harper Lee Writes To Oprah

I'm sure this is a question that has crossed many minds after reading (the reclusive author of To Kill A Mockingbird) Harper Lee's letter to Oprah; which is featured in the July issue of O Magazine. Harper Lee sends a timely message to Oprah. Especially with the multitude of parents who are the gatekeepers of their child(rens) summer reading lists.

But Lee, at 80 years of age pulls no punches as she reflects on how reading was an initrinsic part of her family life. Lee writes, "Now, 75 years later in an abundant society where people have laptops, cell phones, iPods, and minds like empty rooms [What does she mean by this?], I still plod along with books. Instant information is not for me. I prefer to search library stacks because when I work to learn something, I remember it."

Lee certainly provides real life examples on how to spark the love of reading. However, with all due respect to Lee, today's learners (at no fault of their own) have a multitude of information stacks to choose from and I do believe they too are working to search, learn and remember. It may not be the way of 80 years ago. But, nevertheless, this is a new generation, where learners search and retrieve library stacks both digitally and via print.